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| Michael Hubbard |
A defendant decided to try his luck and smuggle his favorite pet into a courthouse, perhaps for good luck, according to court officials in Hawaii.
Safety Inspectors at the Honolulu courthouse noticed something moving inside the bag of the defendant, as it passed through an X-ray machine, earlier this week.
After initially refusing to open it, the owner of the bag reluctantly revealed that his pet was inside. When he opened the bag, the screeners found a live duck and a bottle of beer inside, the Department of Public Safety spokesperson, Toni Schwartz said.
Police told defendant Michael Hubbard that his pet and beverage are not allowed inside the Circuit Court, so the man left. He returned shortly thereafter and asked police to take care of his things while he went inside to make an appointment, Schwartz said, adding that visitors can leave their things outside at their own risk.
Hubbard went to schedule his appointment, while the duck waited outside. Hubbard has two outstanding assault cases against him in court, according to court records.
“The defendant is lucky that screeners were able to stop him from entering the court. I can’t imagine what the judge would have done to this man if his duck disrupted the court session. He could have faced some jail time. I think that Hubbard got lucky after all,” Marlene Nix, 47, of Victoria, Australia told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the incident.
Schwartz also said that Hubbard seemed intoxicated.
"We recommend people not bring their pets to the court," Schwartz said. "Believe it or not, this is not an unusual occurrence. Many people try to take their pets to the courts," he added.
“These animals are usually dogs,” he continued.
"A duck is unusual," he said. "I do not think we've encountered that before," he concluded.